I took a bite and shrugged. “More for me.”
“I never said I’d go without dinner,” Amo said and took the can from my hand. He shoveled at least half of the can into his mouth before he passed the can to Matteo. At least, the latter only took a few bites before he handed the can back to me.
Of course, it started raining. Amo ducked inside his tent. Matteo crammed inside as well. Cursing, I sought shelter in the way too small tent for three men of above-average stature as well.
“No way in hell am I sharing my tent with you two,” Amo said.
“You can sleep outside if you want, or I could order you to do it as the Consigliere who’s clearly above you in rank.”
“This is a family vacation, not a Famiglia job,” Amo said indignantly.
Sometimes his young age shone through, like in instances like this. We were still trying to figure out a way to fit all three of us inside when an engine sounded. A pickup with a group of obviously drunk college-aged guys pulled up, looking for trouble.
Amo peered out as well.
The guys jumped out of the car and hollered. “Did we catch you fags in the act?”
One of them pointed his finger at Amo. “That guy isn’t even old enough. Probably fucking his teacher.”
Amo reached into the halter at his back and pulled a knife.
“I knew this trip was going to be fun,” Matteo said, his knife brandished as well.
I crawled out of the tent. The guys scanned my tattoos, scars, and muscles and some of their bravado disappeared. Amo unfolded his tall frame from the tent after me, and now the guys started to look increasingly unsure. It didn’t help that the rain plastered Amo’s white shirt to his hulk-muscled body and revealed the tattoo beneath.
When Matteo finally got out with a scary smile even I still had to get used to, and with that long knife in his hand, the guys looked about ready to shit their pants.
“I didn’t quite catch what you said inside the tent,” Matteo said.
“Fuck, they’re from some motorcycle gang!” one of the guys shouted and rushed back to the car.
Matteo’s lips curled, and so did mine, though for different reasons.
“What MC rides a fucking dirt bike?” I snarled while Matteo muttered. “Do I look like a goddamn biker to you?”
“Come on, don’t be pussies. It’s you six against us three, and one of us doesn’t even count as a full adult yet. Give this fight a chance!” Matteo shouted, looking even more like a manic serial killer, which of course, he was.
The guys almost stumbled over each other in their haste to get back in the car. Before they could race away, Matteo flung a smaller knife at one of their spinning tires. The thing exploded but the car still took off in a mad zig-zag course.
“Slicing these assholes into tiny pieces could have been such a wonderful bonding experience,” Matteo said in a regretful tone.
“Sharing a tent with you will do, thanks,” I muttered.
Luckily for all of us, the rain stopped after a while, and I decided to sleep in my damp sleeping bag outside instead of a narrow tent with two Vitiellos.
I was woken by birdsong around sunrise and soon after Amo joined me on the log in front of the dead fire.
“You still think Marcella chose wrong?” I asked.
“She chose you. Marcella knows what she wants. I wouldn’t want someone to tell me my choice was wrong if I were in her stead.”
I nodded, surprised by his reasonable demeanor. “What about you? Do you have your eyes set on a girl?”
Amo gave me a bored look. “I don’t have time to crush on girls. I’m the no-strings-attached type.”
“You’re too young to be the no-strings-attached type.”
Amo chuckled. “Yeah, sure.”
“I never thought I’d fall in love either, even when I was way older than you, then Marcella happened. You never know.”
“I’ll have an arranged marriage. The Famiglia can’t afford another love marriage. We need to make sure my wedding strengthens our family.”
“Come on, I’m a resourceful addition to the family.”
“That’s not what I mean, but the Famiglia is based on traditions. Many people long for a traditional bond and as the future Capo I should satisfy their wishes.”
I shook my head. “Man, you sound way too sensible for your age. Loosen up.”
“Becoming a good Capo for the Famiglia is my only goal in life. And don’t worry, Marcella always calls me loose.”
I chuckled. “She mentioned your luck with the girls, especially some of her friends.”
Amo shrugged. He looked up at the sky. “Only a few more days of freedom, you should enjoy every second. Are you nervous?”
“I’m not losing my freedom. And the only thing I’m nervous about is the trip with your father.”
Amo smirked. “Yeah, good luck with that.”